[BUG] Settings file written with unexpected ordering

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

My ~/.claude/settings.json file is a symlink to a file in a Git repo, so whenever Claude edits the settings file automatically, I need to either commit those changes or revert them. When I first edited the file myself, I put the top-level keys in lexicographical order. However, when Claude subsequently edited the file, the keys were no longer in lexicographical order. I could see this making sense if there's Claude were simply inserting new settings at the end, or if there were a specific documented fixed ordering Claude uses, but neither of those seem to be the case: for instance, the Available settings list in the documentation is in lexicographical order.

What Should Happen?

Probably the keys should remain in their original order; this is what VS Code does, for instance. Or at the very least, the order they use should match the documentation.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create ~/.claude/settings.json with these contents:

```json
{
"autoMemoryEnabled": false,
"permissions": {
"defaultMode": "bypassPermissions"
}
}

1. Run claude
2. Select "Yes, I accept"
3. Observe that the keys in ~/.claude/settings.json are in neither lexicographical order nor insertion order:

``json
{
"permissions": {
"defaultMode": "bypassPermissions"
},
"autoMemoryEnabled": false,
"skipDangerousModePermissionPrompt": true
}
``

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.148 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

_No response_